


Signature Move

by L_ecureuil



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Dark Magic, Fantasy, Gang Violence, How Do I Tag This, M/M, ride or die friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_ecureuil/pseuds/L_ecureuil
Summary: Kurapika never considered Hogwarts to be the safest learning environment but when the Phantom Troupe, a gang of dark wizards, start infiltrating the school to recruit new members, his faith in the school protecting itself further wanes.He needs to warn the most susceptible students or they'll fall prey.
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight & Killua Zoldyck, Hisoka/Illumi Zoldyck, Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight, Kuroro Lucifer | Chrollo Lucifer & Kurapika
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. They Who Will Be Named 'Bastards'

“I’ll see you around, Melody!” Kurapika called over his shoulder, then checked his magical watch. The dials turned towards a panicked looking sun. He couldn’t be late.

Kurapika shot his way to the library at optimal speed, sprinting while everyone walked, his robes flying behind him in a dementor like billow. He couldn’t be late to their study meet or Leorio would laugh at him. 

In his mind, the various embarrassing scenarios of failure played like in those movies Leorio made him watch during the summer at his muggle home. Summers with Leorio as his neighbor meant muggle education beyond what Kurapika’s foster family could provide, but also love. Kurapika’s foster family did their best with the amount of children they provided for but it didn’t feel as clear cut as sitting in Leorio’s living room, agreeing while his mother praised him into embarrassment. 

Kurapika’s foster family tried to love their kids, but their prejudices got in the way and the Kurta couldn’t soften them no matter how he good he was. He simply didn’t have the blood purity they admired. It bothered him to no end and Leorio couldn’t wrap his head around it. 

“You’re a wizard like them, born of wizards? Why would they think you’re anything less then them?”

“It’s like the class system,” Kurapika had replied calmly. “It served a purpose in the past to maintain power.”

“Bullshit,” Leorio said, getting heated as he often did, “It’s not like people are born with less magic than others. It’s not a monetary transaction!”

Leorio often spoke about money, something that Kurapika, in turn, didn’t understand. In the magical world, resources were easy to get even without power or education. 

Kurapika woke up from his reverie when he ran into a crowd of students. 

“Merlin’s beard, watch where you’re going!” the student cried, but Kurapika stopped paying attention the moment his eyes landed on why so many students had stopped.

Directly in front of him, burned into the bricks of the library corridor, the unmistakable symbol of The Spiders loomed at a horrible, horrible height. A flight of professors gathered around them.

Kurapika suddenly wanted to drown. 

* * *

“They’re here,” said Kurapika, breathless from running. Leorio looked for the source of Kurapika’s distress but he could only see misery and sweat. 

“Who?” Leorio said, “Look, if it’s about the guest speaker for Transmutation, I hate them too—”

“No,” Kurapika said, gripping Leorio’s arm suddenly. Kurapika rarely touched people, and this, this felt like the ironclad grip of someone who’d just witnessed a murder. “The people who killed my family, they’re at Hogwarts.”

Leorio’s mouth worked to make sense of this. He hadn’t meant it when he said witness a murder. Sure he knew Kurapika was secretive and quiet but he hadn’t expected this . Only last week he'd introduced Kurapika to comic books. Leorio suddenly wondered if any of the backstories hit to close to home. If he had known--

“The Spiders,” Kurapika said forcefully, his eyes flashing in a way Leorio had never seen before. He’d known Kurapika four years and he’d never seen his eyes turn red. Was he even awake? Leorio pinched himself painfully, earning a crimson glare at the action. Still, Kurapika pressed on, “The Spiders are the scum of the magical world. A band of dark wizards who look for rare treasure to sell on the black market. They’re usually just thieves but they’ll murder if anything gets in their way.”

“And your parents. They got in the way?” Leorio said, still trying to find saliva, looking at his orphan friend. He couldn’t believe they hadn't had this conversation before this day. 

Kurapika shook his head, “Leorio, I trust you,” he said, imploring, “I have--I have to tell someone. Tell me if you don’t want me to--”

Leorio took a deep breath, actively pushing down the potion of emotions in himself so he could meet his friend at face value. He did so by linking his arms around Kurapika’s shoulders. A regular Kurapika would have slipped away with an awkward stumble but today he buried himself in Leorio’s arms with wracking breaths. Leorio felt hands coming up to steel himself into Leorio’s comforting embrace. 

After a moment Leorio pushed away, looking Kurapika in the eyes, their foreheads nearly touched, “Don’t ever think I’m unwilling to side with you on something like this,” he said through his teeth, “What kind of lousy friend do you think I am, huh ? I’m not about to throw you away. I’m loyal, got it? Remember that!” Leorio said. He knew some students were looking at the them but he didn’t care. Kurapika was so much more important and he’d never seen him so vulnerable before. 

“Okay,” Kurapika said lowly, meeting Leorio eye to eye. 

“So, these Spiders,” Leorio trailed off.

“We need to give them a code name, people can’t know that we’re talking about them in case someone’s listening,” Kurapika said hushedly. “Let’s call them the,” he racked his brain.

“The bastards,” Leorio supplied. Kurapika cracked a smile at that but it didn’t meet his eyes. 

“Leorio, I need to show you something,” Kurapika said, swallowing with difficulty, his fists clenched and shaking. 

Leorio pushed up from the library desk, perceptively letting Kurapika lead him down a labyrinth of empty corridors. In turn, he held onto Kurapika’s wrist the whole way.

Kurapika looked up at Leorio, “What are your opinion on half-breeds?” Kurapika said, “That’s to say mixed wizards who are mixed with non-muggles.”

Leorio looked at him like he was crazy, “I don’t know,” Leorio said, rubbing at his forehead, “Depends, I guess. Depends on the person. I haven’t met any.”

“Good,” Kurapika said, “Because I am one.”

Leorio froze but he narrowed without judgement. 

“I’m from a wizard band who mixed with a set of pre-historic fairies. The fairies are no longer in this world, but we remained,” Kurapika said, pacing around and holding himself together. “We are the Kurta, named after the Kurta fairies from our oral history,” he pushed his hair over his ears and muttered a spell, pointing his wand to his ears and revealing their lightly pointed shape. Leorio sucked in a breath. They weren’t pointed enough for Leorio to notice before now but now that he concentrated on them, he could tell he’d missed how important they were. 

When Kurapika looked up at him. His eyes gleamed a jewel like, pulsating red, like looking into a field of molten lava. In the dark, grey corridor, with the rainy weather outside, scraping at grimy glass, they were the brightest thing around. “When we die, our eyes stay the colour they were in death. If you kill us when they’re like this, you can collect our eyes and they will burn for eternity.

“It’s said that the Kurta were fairies of the deep volcanic landscapes. Before the world was made, they lived in the fires. All that’s left of their legacy are the colours of their world.”

Leorio looked perturbed, “And so these Spiders, I take it they took something from you, your eyes, right?”

Kurapika nodded tersely, “Our eyes also have potion worthy properties. You can also use their ocular stems for wand cores. They butchered us for these eyes.”

Leorio turned pale as a sheet, “Sick bastards,” he hissed, “Who thinks of doing that?” 

“It’s not just that,” Kurapika said, “I’m also the last of my people. The Spiders didn’t just pick my parents, they killed all of my relatives in seven nights of torture.”

Leorio balled his hands into fists, “Do you think they know you’re here?”

“I suspect that if they knew they would have killed me in my sleep already,” Kurapika said as airly as he could, picking at a stray owl feather on his robe and letting it fall.

“Then, why are they here?” Leorio pressed, “If not for, you know, your eyes,” he said, motioning to Kurapika’s general figure. He was still getting used to the molten eyes. He knew they were a natural part of Kurapika but he couldn’t help but be reminded of the Eye of Sauron. Seeing them this angry was like looking into the looking glass of all of nature’s disasters.

“I suspect they’re recruiting,” Kurapika said with forced calm but his voice still shook, “The bastards need more members. A few of them were thrown into Azkaban recently and died in incarceration. It was all over the Daily Prophet. They’re likely looking for people--students with incredible talents to replace their missing members. The younger they are, the easier they are to indoctrinate.”

“Incredible talents?” Leorio said, “What does that mean?”

It was hard to forget that Leorio was muggle born, “You’re a normal wizard,” Kurapika said said, earning an indignant ‘hey!’ from Leorio. “You can do magic with a wand and you’re learning regular magic. But the Spiders want more. They want wizards who have unlocked types of rare magic. They’re looking for young wizards with magic that the Ministry can barely control. They’re looking for specialists and anomalies.”

“Give me an example,” Leorio said with his arms crossed.

“Wandless magic,” Kurapika said, “Shapeshifters, parseltongue speakers, people whose magic can poison others without being noticed, wizards who can walk through walls, witches who can Darth Vader choke people,” he said, rolling his eyes at the reference he’d purposefully used for Leorio to understand. They’d had too many marathon nights, now that he thought about it. Kurapika suddenly dreaded spending so much time watching movies when he should have been pressing forward in his education. 

“Oh fuck,” Leorio said, finally getting it, “That’s… how do you know they’re here?” he said. 

“Their symbol is burned into the wall of the school. They’re searching, I know it,” Kurapika said. “We need to do something--”

Leorio neared Kurapika, gingerly at first. He clasped the Kurta’s shoulder, “First, we need to get you contact lenses. Like the ones I wore at the beach during our trip to Essex.”

“Leorio, I don’t need glasses,” Kurapika sputtered, frustrated at the thought that Leorio was insulting his eyesight over their colour. “I can see perfectly fine!” He said, pulling his shoulder out from Leorio’s grip. 

Leorio shook his head fondly, “My mom’s an oncologist, Kurapika. If I can I’ll get you contacts. They’re pieces you put in your eyes to change their colour. With a charm you might mess up your eyes or it might wear off. If I order these, wizards won’t be looking for them. They don’t suspect muggle technology,” he said smugly as if waiting for praise.

Kurapika felt overwhelmed with gratitude, his face burned with it. 

“But it will take a while for that order to come through,” Leorio added, “So in the meantime we need to stop you from doing that,” he said, pointing his finger and thumb at Kurapika’s face. “How do you make them normal?”

If Kurapika had been a cat, his hair would have raised on his back.

“I mean Hogwarts normal,” Leorio said with an eye roll, “Don’t give me that look! I’m trying to help.”

Kurapika looked to the floor, “I need to keep myself from feeling strong emotions. That’s it. I’m generally able to control my feelings but right now I want to drag some Sp--bastards to Hell.”

Leorio oh-ed, “Yeah, you can’t think like that in public. You need to think of something different. What’s your happy place?”

“Personal study,” Kurapika said.

“Okay, so what’s your current project?”

“How to drag bastards to hell,” Kurapika said flatly. 

Leorio’s palm collided with his face. 

“We… we can try to work with that,” Leorio said dragging a hand down his own cheek, “What’s your plan? Not to the bastards but around it.”

“I need to learn protective magic,” Kurapika said, “And tell the administration. But more than that, I need to warn the students of this plot. I need to stop other students from being recruited by murderers.” 

“Okay,” Leorio said, because under all his quirks he was truly ride or die. Kurapika felt a swell of pride, “Where do we start?”


	2. The Melody of the Honey Badger Rings Twice

Kurapika leaned his cheek in his hand, “I wish I was a Hufflepuff,” he said.

Leorio coughed out a laugh. Melody looked up from her studies and looked apologetically at Kurapika. By her expression, she agreed with Leorio.

“I’m sure you’d make a great Hufflepuff,” Melody said.

“You realize your spite is so stressful that the entire house is studying across the room from us?” Leorio said, motioning to literally the rest of the student body keeping their distance.

Kurapika barely held back a snarl, “Maybe it’s you, you loud-mouth!”

“You think I’m doing this?” Leorio said, “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve had to tackle you out of a room because your,” he lowered his voice, “Eyes were about to go nuts. It’s like you never learned to calm down in your life!”

Melody puffed out a sigh. This was it. This was how their first week was going to be.

“Maybe if we actually did something,” Kurapika raged, “I’m losing it just sitting here and doing nothing!”

Leorio pulled at his own hair, “Fuck, we talked about this. There are aurors everywhere. Hogwarts is on lockdown! We don’t need to do anything because we’re just students. Let the professionals handle it. You promised me you’d give it three weeks and if nothing happens then we’ll put together a plan. It’s just, I need to study. I can’t be worrying about your stupid fits all the time when I know if I look away from all this schoolwork I’ll fall behind. I’m not a genius like you.”

“Then ask me for help,” Kurapika said.

“No, you’re stressed!” Leorio shot back.

“Boys,” Melody said, “Please,” she placed her hands on the table in a grounding gesture, “Maybe we need to go outside. It’s been hours and the common room isn’t doing us any good,” she hopped out of her chair and slung on her bookbag.

* * *

“Are the Slytherins drowning someone?” Leorio said, looking off the glade to a gathering of green ties peering into the lake.

“Ignore them, they’re probably poking at the giant squid again,” Kurapika muttered. His speed walking looked downright murderous.

“Kurapika,” Melody said softly. She looked pointedly at his curled up fists. 

Kurapika nodded stiffly, loosening his fists.

“Now, sit down” Melody said, once they reached her favourite tree. She often said it was musically fascinating. The tree had a hum of its own and she likened it to bilateral noise. Neither Kurapika nor Leorio knew what the hell that was.

“We’re going to practice those breathing exercises I talked about,” Melody said.

Kurapika shut his eyes as he listened to Melody speak him into a calming trance.

It only lasted about four minutes, because he was interrupted by scuffling and voices.

“We can’t have the aurors interrupting our classes. When your man drank one of the student’s potions that was crossing the line,” Kurapika recognized it as the Care of Magical Creatures professor, Professor Squala.

An unfamiliar man responded, “This isn’t a regular situation. If we weren’t hunting dark wizards, I’d put a tighter leash on my aurors, but you know I can’t do that. Any suspicious activity needs to be investigated regardless of if it interrupts classes,” Kurapika recognized the head auror from seeing him around the school. He was a tall, serious man in a cow tie.

“Professor Bisky thinks we should give the students the tools to protect themselves. They’re living everyday in fear of gang activity but they don’t even know what the gang can do,” Professor Squala said.

“We can’t have students get in the way,” the auror said. “It’ll impede on the investigation.”

“At least tell us, the teachers, what these Spiders can do,” Professor Squala said, “Without their identities and their specialties we’re less capable of protecting ourselves.”

“You know that is classified information,” the auror said, “If we gave the information to anyone, the Spiders might count it as a threat and try to kill you for knowing their identities. The only person we trust with that is Headmaster Netero and only by orders of the Ministry.”

Professor Squala made a clicking sound of discontent, “That crazy old man will never tell us. You know he used to be in charge of training aurors? He loves this kind of thing. He’s all about survival of the fittest. I swear this is a game to him.”

“I can’t help you with that,” the auror said honestly, “I can only tell you what I told all the teachers. That the spiders have somehow infiltrated Hogwarts, they’re collecting information on the students—we know this because the Ministry files went missing—and that they’re looking for students who are likely to fit their profile, people with low morals who have extraordinary gifts they can utilize.”

Kurapika’s mind raced. He was right. His guess was spot on. But now that he knew, he couldn’t just sit and wait with Leorio. It was clear the aurors were out of their depth.

Once the two adult voices faded away, Kurpaika cracked his eyes open, only to meet those of his friends who had also been listening.

“They don’t sound like they’re doing well,” Kurapika started.

“Kurapika, no!” Leorio cried, “You promised.”

“Change of plans. I’m sorry, Leorio,” Kurapika said, shutting his ruby eyes, “But I can’t sit by and let them fail. Either we start counter recruiting, or I make myself into one of the extraordinary students the spiders are looking for.”

Melody spoke up, “Kurapika, you shouldn’t—”

“Damn it, okay,” Leorio said, “But if we do this, you’re going to help me with charms.”

Kurapika smirked, “I thought you’d never ask, idiot.”

* * *

“We need to figure out who in the school would most likely be attractive to criminals.” Kurapika said, pushing his quill behind an ear, “These are people who are vulnerable to criminal organizations.”

Leorio peered at their blank piece of paper, “So, people who could become criminals,” he said.

“Yes,” Kurapika said, “But it’s not always that obvious, they could just be vulnerable to influence. For example, someone who has been hurt all their life might look for a mentor who they think could protect them.”

Leorio had gone quiet, forcing Kurapika to check on him. 

“You know,” Leorio said, “There’s always…”

“Yes?” Kurapika said.

“Hisoka,” Leorio said. The name alone made them both pause to stare into open space in numb misery.

“He’s the worst,” Kurapika said finally, “Not worse than the Spiders, yet, but he’s,” he couldn’t finish.

“He’s been voted most likely to kill someone on purpose by me in a poll made by me,” Leorio said with a shudder, “The guy’s a creep circus.”

Most of the world’s evil started from thoughtfulness or ignorance. Hisoka was not one of those evils. When he hurt people it was from the opposite of ignorance. He hurt people with the sole intention of gaining pleasure from it.

Kurapika flattened his lips. It was hard to imagine anybody interested in joining the Spiders by their own free will. Still, there’s a lot they didn’t know about the people around them.

“I don’t think we can talk him into not joining the bastards,” Kurapika started, “But I think we might be able to get him to help us.”

Leorio grit his teeth.

“There has to be something he wants. My guess is he wants to be challenged. He’s bored, anyone can see that,” Kurapika said, “Plus, he’d be a valuable asset to anyone who gets him on their side.”

“I don’t know what you’re thinking but I don’t like it. If we make a team, he’s more likely to just stab us all in the back.”

“Not if we keep it interesting for him,” Kurapika said.

“Are you asking to die?” Leorio said.


	3. Drowned and Banished

It wasn't difficult to find Hisoka. He often liked bothering the paintings by adding to their pieces. There were better artists than him, but you didn't need to be great at graffiti to make someone's fruit bowl a nightmare.   
  


“At least we’re not some kind of juvenile delinquent!” Leorio muttered to Kurapika, "How is he allowed to go here?" 

Hisoka stopped so still that even with his back turned to them, Leorio gave into the urge to take two step backwards.

“There are much worse things than delinquents here,” Hisoka said idly, he looked over his shoulder with catlike eyes narrowed, “Are you so ignorant to who lurks Hogwarts? I can’t imagine not knowing of the murderers you pass everyday in this very hallway. I may be unkind but I’m biding time. I know that one misstep would mean not graduating. I can’t be so hasty to the things you’re afraid I will try in the light of day,” he turned to look at them, his broad shoulders so utterly relaxed in the courteous way of a predator. “Tell me, do you know about the murderers underneath your feet?”

Leorio looked confused, but before he could speak, Kurapika mercifully stepped in, “No, we don’t.”

“Pity,” Hisoka said, not meaning it, “If you think I’m bad, you haven’t looked _at all_.”

“Hisoka,” Kurapika said, stepping forward. He watched the older student lick his lips and pushed back a shudder. “We need your help. We’re even willing to bargain.”

“Hey wait!” Leorio yelled, “He’s crazy, he doesn’t even go to class. What help is he?”

Kurapika shushed Leorio with a look. “I know for a fact that Hisoka has some of the highest grades in the school and he doesn’t study,” Kurapika tracked twisted Hisoka’s smirk as it grew, “And that he has special abilities beyond regular magic,” that got Hisoka grinning.

“Special abilities? Abilities to annoy more like,” Leorio said, motioning to the mess around them. “He’s worse than Peeves!”

Kurapika happened to know for a fact that Peeves was immensely afraid Hisoka. Hisoka somehow managed, in his 3rd year no less, to trap Peeves. This was something wizards had been trying to do for decades with various containment spells. How he did it hadn’t been revealed. It was said Hisoka had _played_ with Peeves in such a way that Peeves still hid from him when he walked down the hallways. Peeve’s time in capture had only been cut short by a petition by the other ghosts to the headmaster because they believed he was being tortured. The administration never found any proof. It was true that ghosts didn’t form scars.

“In exchange for your help, we’ll do you a favour, on the condition that we agree with it, ethically speaking,” Kurapika added.

Hisoka leaned in, as if he was going to ask for a kiss but spoke instead. A small mercy. “If I help you, I have _three_ conditions. One, make me a Laughing Potion. Two, help me break into the Slytherin dungeons to retrieve something dear to me. They are keeping one of my toys and I want it back. Third, when you reach the leader of the Spiders, the Dark Wizard Chrollo, I want first dibs,” he said breathily, clearly aroused. Kurapika’s nose crinkled up in disgust.

Kurapika had been raised to believe that everyone was fundamentally good, that every child was born with a grain of kindness, but looking into the small pupils of Hisoka’s lecherous eyes, he questioned it all.

Part of Kurapika knew that this was wrong, that setting someone so untrustworthy on anyone was against everything he believed in. Except, his revenge streak, like licks of fires, touched his eyes and won over any sense of humanity. If Hisoka could take on Chrollo and even die trying, who was Kurapika to stop him? The men could take each other out, he didn’t want anything to do with them once the deed was done.

“We have a deal,” Kurapika said with as much hostility he could muster.

“So cute,” Hisoka murmured as if Kurapika was a puppy, “Meet me at 10pm in the trophy room a week from now and bring the potion.” He said before spinning around and leaving Leorio and Kurapika alone surrounded by the confetti mess. 

* * *

Kurapika found himself in the library again, nose in a potions book, “A laughing potion is a potion against banshees,” he said, he looked up, “Other than making you laugh hysterically, it’s nothing illegal. I can’t see this being a problem. The side effect of mania and depression are pretty normal for potions.”

“Maybe he’s trying to induce an asthma attack,” Leorio said, looking over Kurapika’s shoulder. “Whatever he’s doing it’s bound to be shady.”

“But this potion is right in the book,” Kurapika said, pointing to the recipe, “This isn’t some dark potion, it’s protective against harm.”

“What would a creep like him be doing around banshees?” Leorio said. “I don’t even think there are any at Hogwarts.”

Kurapika pursed his lips, “What if he’s trying to sneak into the Forbidden Forest and he needs a protective measure? Whatever the reason, we need him as an ally. We _have_ to do this for him if we want him on our side.”

Leorio shook his head and slumped his shoulders forward. “There are already auror’s at Hogwarts, the place is on high alert. Why do we have to do anything? We’re not the police, we’re fifth years. We don’t even know how to apparate.”

“Because,” Kurapika said sharply, “Everyone’s in danger. If we act like this is normal and don’t do damage control, it’s more likely that the bastards will get away with their plan. This is a double headed attack.”

“Let me remind you, we don’t know enough magic to help,” Leorio said.

“Yet,” Kurapika said.

“When I agreed to do this with you, I thought we were just going to warn others. I didn’t think we’d be hiring future dark wizards by making deals with them in broad daylight.”

* * *

In the window looking out into the lake, a murky figure floated in the blackened water. Their legs were tied the outside windowsill with seaweed like manacles. They looked utterly frozen, pale skin so white it was nearly green. Around them, schools of fish swam through their hair’s silken strands. It was like discovering a corpse. Except it wasn’t a corpse. They were still breathing, visible only by the way the bubble around the bottom half of their face moved from time to time.

“They look dead,” Leorio said, “Who is that?”

“They’re not a mer-person, are they?” Kurapika said. Their features looked human but who knew.

“They’re a seventh year,” Hisoka said, “An old friend of mine. He’s at the bottom of the lake because the other Slytherins didn’t want him around. They’re quite afraid of him, you see. I knew something happened because I haven’t seen him in class for a couple days before you asked me to help.”

“So, they just strung him up?” Leorio said, “And left him to die out in the lake? It’s been a week. How is he still alive?”

“They might be feeding him, who knows,” Hisoka said, “He’s hard to kill.”

The common room, which had previously been deemed empty revealed itself not to be when one of the futons turned their way. Incased in pillows and a sleep jumper, a little boy sat very still and tilted his head at them. If he was any paler, Kurapika would have deemed him a ghost.

“Are you here to save my brother or stare at him?” the boy said.

“Both,” Hisoka replied. “He’s pretty like this.”

The boy looked unperturbed. “I have been sending him nourishment spells but I don’t know how to bring him in through the glass. I know he won’t decay but I worry how long he’ll put up with this,” the boy said. “If he loses his patience, we may drown.”

“Kalluto, right?” Hisoka said, “The smallest Zoldyck.”

Kalluto nodded the affirmative.

Kurapika’s eyes widened, “You’re related to that second year in Griffindor named Killua, right?”

“Killu-nii is the only one of our family in Griffindor. My parents are so proud,” Kalluto said hazily. Kurapika sensed a tinge of jealousy. He’d been so preoccupied with the conversation that he missed Leorio passing them all to get a better look at the floating prisoner.

“We need a form of accio that pulls people through walls,” Leorio said with his hand on the glass, “If this thing breaks the water will flood through the dungeon. How did they even get him in there?”

“They knocked him out while he was sleeping and dragged him to the lake where they paid the mer-people to keep him suspended. It was kind of them to put a bubble, otherwise he may have died,” Kalluto piped up.

“We need a complex mixed spell,” Kurapika said, “The seize and pull charm mixed with a charm which allows only one object to be pulled through. Accio won’t work because he’s alive.”

Hisoka smiled and stepped forward, “If we time it correctly, we can fix the glass before too much water gets through.”

“That’s nuts, we have no idea what the pressure of the lake is like!” Leorio said.

“Then we need to stop the water before it kills us,” Kurapika said firmly. “Hisoka, you pull him in. I’ll stop the water, Leorio, you fix the glass. One the count of four. On the count of one, two--”

“ _Arresto Momentum!”_ Kurapika yelled, pointing towards the lake. He imagined himself being like the glass, holding it in place where it had been. He grit his teeth, he knew this spell wouldn’t last very long.

A second later, Hisoka commanded, “ _Carpe Retractum Illumi,”_ and a line tied itself to the student’s being, pulling him in a string of light. The spell pulled Illumi forward through the glass, pieces shattering everywhere.

Kurapika kept holding the lake at bay, only saved by Leorio’s swift, “ _Reparo_ ,” the moment Illumi’s unmoving body was pulled from the depths.

Hisoka jumped forward and caught Illumi mid-air like a bride. He put him down very gently onto the carpet and put a hot stream of air onto the prone body, warming them and drying them, then gleefully popped the bubble off Illumi’s mouth with his wand.

Hisoka cast a spell which took away the paralysis. Illumi seemed to stir and in a motion faster than anyone could see, he had his hand digging into Hisoka’s throat, nails piercing skin, and Hisoka on the ground underneath him.

Long streams of black hair bracketed Hisoka’s face as Illumi loomed over him, his body visibly shaking with either rage or the effects of the circumstances he shouldn’t have been able to survive.

“Scream and I’ll live,” Hisoka said barely a whisper. His face out of sight underneath the curtain of black, “I took a laughing potion just for you,” he reached up as if to touch Illumi’s face but Illumi rolled off of him in an instant.

Behind them, what was likely the entire of the boys and girls of the Slytherin house were gathering onto the carpets of the common room, giving them all a wide berth.

“Merlin’s anus, they’re batshit if they thought it was a good idea to—”

“Retrieve _him_ ,” another student finished for the first, dread clear in their voice.

Illumi meanwhile looked blankly up at the students, some of which had tried to kill him by exposure, and made no expression. His fishlike eyes stared ahead, open under a set of long eyelashes like his siblings. But unlike Killua and Kalluto, he was strange looking. His nose was too long, his limbs like branches scattered around his barely breathing center and his eyes, they were like holes looking back into his empty scull, so dark Kurapika swore he saw a shadow pass. 

Leorio stepped up, “I don’t know what Illumi did but it doesn’t give any of you a right to string someone up to die! You hear me?”

“He’s not even human,” one of the students said, “Look at him, he doesn’t look bothered at all.”

“I don’t care, snot face!” Leorio said, “Now scoot! We need to get him medical attention!”

Illumi didn’t respond to Leorio’s protective measures either, he pulled his hand from Hisoka’s throat where his nails dug in and looked blandly at the bloody tips of his nails like he hadn’t realized they’d sunk in.

“Let’s get him warmed up,” Kurapika said, “I’ll help him run a shower,” he went to the washrooms, testing the hot water with the inside of his wrist. He knew that anything would feel like burning after floating like an ice cube in the lake for a week.

Leorio followed Hisoka in, where Hisoka deposited Illumi in the showers, still covered in robes. Kalluto hovered in the doorway, protectively watching.

Illumi looked up at the fixture, the water hitting his eyes, but he didn’t close them. Finally, he tilted his head out of the stream.

“Help him get his robes off,” Leorio said, “He has a rash around his mouth from the bubble charm. I’ll clear it,” he pointed his wand and muttered healing spells.

Kurapika unbuttoned Illumi’s clothes away, grabbing the slopping wet mess and throwing it in the corner of the showers where they dripped into the drain. He hadn’t noticed Hisoka leave but now he saw him with a hand full of soap.

“I’m going to wash your hair, okay, Illu?” he said, the closest to kindness Kurapika had ever seen him offer. Illumi nodded mutely, but lowered his eyelids, a glower towards Hisoka, their very first emotional response.

Kurapika soaped up Illumi’s skin and sponged him while Leorio checked for injuries. Only Hisoka spoke through the process, “It’s not that different from your training at home, hmm? I’m sure you’ve been through much worse. Look, they even left your hair intact this time. I hated how they sheered it before, it wasn’t artful at all.”

Kalluto finally approached with a change of clothes and a towel, the latter which they used to pat Illumi dry. Hisoka helped Illumi into the change of clothes, comfortable pajamas of some sort with flowers patterned in. They hauled him to the common room and set him on a sofa. Illumi’s wet hair soaked into the upholstery.

Hisoka sat on the arm of his sofa, looming over Illumi, somewhere between threatening and protective. Kurapika and Leorio watched somberly from the adjacent sofas.

“Why didn’t you fight back?” Hisoka said, “I’m sure you could have done something when they took you.”

Illumi shut his eyes and furrowed his brow. When he spoke his voice grated with disuse. “I couldn’t use spells. I am not allowed to do so without a professor present. Those are the rules.”

Hisoka raised his brows, “Not even spells in self-defense?” he said. "They did paralyze you."

“Even then,” Illumi said simply.

“You know those rules only apply in regular use,” Hisoka said softly, like he was talking to a child, “What they did wasn’t normal.”

“It wasn’t so bad,” Illumi said.

“You were in there for more than a week,” Hisoka said. He took out his wand and conjured what looked suspiciously like a chocolate milkshake, which he passed to Illumi. To everyone’s surprise, Illumi took it with a grateful hum and sipped softly. He looked like a content wind up toy.

“Who are they?” Illumi said finally, looking between Leorio and Kurapika, “They are not Slytherin.”

“We made a deal with Hisoka,” Kurapika said, “Part of our deal included rescuing you.”

“That’s unwise,” Illumi said around his straw, “Hisoka is untrustworthy.”

Leorio threw his hands in the air, “See? He gets it!”

Kurapika looked around them, “Where are the prefects and the head boy and girl? How did they react to you being dragged into the lake? Isn’t there someone in charge who noticed—like the Slytherin Head of the House?”

Illumi shrugged, “Professor Pariston doesn’t care what happens to our students.”

“And the house leaders?” Kurapika pressed.

“Ah, yes, well, I’m Head Boy. I suspect that’s why I was thrown into the lake in my second week,” Illumi said, “They said something about not liking my blood status. It was hard to tell from underwater.”

“They think you’re a soulless half-breed horror creature and don’t want to be governed by you,” Kalluto piped up from a futon. 

“Are they wrong?” Hisoka asked, smiling unsympathetically at Illumi.

“They have no choice but to be governed by me, it wasn’t voted by popular interest,” Illumi said a matter of fact, purposefully ignoring Hisoka.

“You know, Illu, I promised Kurapika to help combat gang recruitment under a couple conditions, one which was to help you escape,” Hisoka said, leaning back and tipping his head up elegantly, “It’s my fault that he’s here on a favour.”

“Gang recruitment, that’s quite serious,” Illumi said blankly.

“He wants to know who in the school have special abilities and could be recruited by a massive effort by The Phantom Troupe. If we’re successful I will get to fight Chrollo,” Hisoka boasted, so pleased with himself.

“Right, there’s our end of the bargain,” Kurapika said, pushing his hands together and knotting them, “Hisoka, what do you know?”

Hisoka smiled lazily, “For one, you’re looking right at one of our most powerful students,” and Illumi looked back. “Illumi would be my first choice when it comes to investigation and offensive measures. I would hire him in a heartbeat.”

“We’re not hiring students,” Kurapika said.

“Bargaining with, hiring,” Hisoka said come ci, come ça, “You should be careful, the Troupe might offer a higher price than you the moment you turn your back.”

Leorio spoke up, “From now on we call the Phantom Troupe or the Spiders or whatever by the name ‘The Bastards’ that way no one knows who we’re talking about.”

“That’s an amusing name,” Hisoka said.

Kurapika knew the night was deepening around them. This may be their only chance at having them all together. He didn’t trust Hisoka to hold his end of the bargain. “We’re looking for the students whose abilities are most attractive to the bastards. Once we pinpoint the interest group, Leorio and I will warn them about the oncoming threat,” he said, “Although there are auror’s around, the school has refused to explain to the student body what the bastards are looking for.”

Illumi leaned back. He did look tired but only as such that his limbs were like jelly. His mind seemed to whirr upon awakening. “There are so many variables. I’m sure Hisoka can find you the names of the interest group, but what will they do when the Spiders find them? Information isn’t enough, they aren’t trained to navigate threats like The Phantom Troupe.”

“You seem interested,” Hisoka said, apparently surprised. Although it could have been fake surprise. Kurapika could never tell with him.

“My siblings will likely be targets,” Illumi said. “If the Phantom Troupe gets wind of what they can do, I may be sent to retrieve them if they are abducted, and if I miss anymore classes that too might bring a setback to my graduation.”

“Mother would be very disappointed,” Kalluto said solemnly.

“She does not grant second chances,” Illumi agreed.


End file.
